The present invention relates to an apparatus for supporting vertical steel reinforcement bar (re-bar) of various diameters during the pouring of a concrete foundation for a wall using a base board with holders attached to the base board. The holders holding the re-bars are positioned in such a way that the re-bars would allow the hollow concrete blocks to fit over them during the construction of the wall.
In a typical wall construction project, a ditch must be dug out. The ditch is then filled with concrete cement forming the foundation for the wall. Hollow blocks are then set on the foundation, and cemented. Concrete is poured into the hollow block to provide strength. However, in order for the wall to be structurally sound, re-bars originating from the foundation and extending upwards into the wall, must be placed. Typically, the steps taken to construct a block wall is as follows:
A ditch extending into the ground is dug to house the foundation of the wall. Re-bars are suspended off the ground and are individually wired to a wooden board by steel tie wires. The re-bars extend into the ditch and are spaced and aligned in such a way that the apertures on the hollow blocks allow the re-bars to go through the interior of the hollow blocks which form the wall. With the re-bars hanging from the wooden board, concrete is poured into the ditch. A foundation is formed when the concrete hardens. The wooden board is removed by first cutting the steel tie wires. As the concrete hardens around the re-bars, they become firmly held by the foundation. Hollow blocks are lowered down over the vertical re-bars, cemented and set upon the foundation to create a wall. Concrete is poured down the hollows blocks to reinforce and form a strong wall and the re-bars in the blocks provides the additional strength for the wall. The traditional way of constructing a wall using the steel tie wire requires a person to hold the re-bar while it is being tied to the wooden board. The positions of the re-bars have to be measured and marked on the wooden board. This process is time consuming. An improved way of avoiding the steel tie wires is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,428. While this method did away with the use of steel tie wires, it still requires the traditional wooden board and measurements for the re-bar holders on the wooden board. Another method as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,360 requires a penetrable cover for the re-bars. U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,991 propose the use of C-shaped holders on a wooden board to avoid using the steel tie wires.
It is therefore an objective of this invention to provide a simple device, where one worker can quickly suspend and hold the re-bars in place while concrete is poured into the ditch to create a foundation. It is also an objective of this invention to provide an easy way for a worker to either slide or snap the re-bar into a re-bar holder. It is a further object of this invention to provide a way to interconnect several re-bar support devices to cover the desired length of the foundation of the wall.